‘If elected, by the end of our first Parliament I want a third of all my  ministers to be female,’ David Cameron pledged  on 29th April 2009. This promise did not come in the context where it was likely that a third of his MPs would be women, so it was one that was bound to be tough to deliver on.

He would not be drawn on the likely outcome of any forthcoming reshuffle when he spoke to Jane Garvey on Womans Hour yesterday and instead  argued about the strict definition of who is in, and out of the Cabinet. He did not attempt to apologise or admit that he was unlikely to achieve his promise, but pointed out that with 48 female MPs out of over 300 that he was better placed to promote talented female MPs than was the case prior to the election. At present there are 25 female Ministers out of a total list of 103 Ministerial positions so this represents a shortfall of 9 against his target. In terms of the Cabinet there are 4 women and 18 men but as Cameron argued, this is only part of the picture as a further 9 people attend the Cabinet even if they are not formal members. With a total of 31 members he needs at least five more female members to fulfil his own promise.

Having made a commitment and so far not having owned up to his failure to deliver, there are at least a couple of options open. One is to promote some of the existing MPs or Lords. Although he made much of the number of MPs yesterday, there are a significant number of women in the Lords which provides a great deal of opportunity for the Prime Minister. He could also do what he has with several of his existing Ministers which is to recruit people from outside of Politics and give them a suitable honour and bring them in through the Lords. The issue is not simply a matter of numbers. There are several Governmental Departments where none of the Ministers are women. That one of these is the Ministry of Defence may not be a surprise but of much more concern is the Treasury, Farming and Rural Affairs and the Department for Transport. In all four of these departments the Ministerial team is men only. The impact of changing these teams in the forthcoming and final reshuffle even at this late stage in the Parliament could potentially improve matters for families in rural areas and for all of us who depend on transport policies for our wellbeing. It would also give the party a chance to show its commitment to its own promises and to at least one form of equality.